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Local agencies take training on suicide screening

Laura Rombach, senior program therapist at the University of New Mexico, presented to Otero County agencies on Wednesday morning on helping those who have contemplated suicide.(Photo: Tara Melton/Daily News)Buy Photo

Members of local agencies gathered on Wednesday morning to learn about how they can help people who may be struggling with suicide.

"The point of the training is the screening we're going over and the safety planning for people that are at risk for suicide," said Sarah Kidd, lead therapist for Esperanza Guidance Services. "This is all part of a grant that we received as an agency, which is National Strategies for Suicide Prevention. This is just one of the trainings we're going to be offering."

Wednesday's training was packed with members of local agencies such as Gerald Champion Medical Center, Presbyterian Medical Services, the Juvenile Probation Office, DWI Compliance, CHINS (Children in Need of Services), Mescalero Tribal Human Services, COPE (Center of Protective Environment), The Counseling Center, Alamogordo Public Schools and local private practices.

"Otero County has really high rates of suicide," Kidd said. "I believe the county average of suicide is two times higher than the national average."

According to the 2009 to 2013 data prepared for Esperanza Guidance Services, suicide rates peaked for Otero County residents in 2010, decline for two years and then rose again in 2013. From 2009 to 2013, there were a total of 89 suicide deaths for Otero County residents of all ages, 77 percent were male and 22 percent were female.

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Attendees of the training earned credits towards their licenses and learned how to properly screen someone with suicidal thoughts and make a safety plan with them.(Photo: Tara Melton/Daily News)

The training, which was given by Laura Rombach of the University of New Mexico, taught attendees how to identify vulnerability factors for those at risk for suicide, determine when a safety plan is needed and how to help a patient construct one and incorporate this knowledge into behavioral health and medical settings.

The safety plan is a template for patient and service provider to list ways they can cope when they feel in crisis.

"We want to help people know that they can learn how to cope on their own through these different situations," said Rombach during the training. "The way the safety plan is developed is you do step one and if step one doesn't solve the crisis, you go down to step two and then step three and keep on going."

At the end of the training, Rombach showed attendees free apps they can use with patients to help develop a safety plan, such as the Virtual Hope Box.

"The providers here in Alamogordo are being very responsive and I feel all the individuals that showed up are very interested in impacting zero suicide," said Rachel Madewell, Executive Director of Esperanza Guidance Services. "I know this community has been tremendously impacted by suicide so the more people we get involved, the more impact we can make as well as prevention."

The Esperanza Guidance Center also wants Otero County residents to be informed of the crisis line, which is 855-662-7474. The crisis line is answered by professional counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and can help those with suicidal and homicidal thoughts, assistance with non-life-threatening mental health emergencies, trauma response, help find resources and assistance for family members or loved ones who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The peer to peer warm line, which offers reassurance before point of crisis, is 855-466-7100.

"Presbyterian Medical Services has the crisis line through NMCAL (New Mexico Crisis and Access Line)," Kidd said. "One of the things we want people to know is that though the calls go to Albuquerque or Santa Fe, the follow up is local. I think that's comforting to people who don't want to talk to a stranger who doesn't know what they're going through but their follow up will be local."

For more information on the training, call the Esperanza Guidance Services at 434-8823.